India reports first monkeypox case from Kerala; central health team to join state govt's containment efforts

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday asked states to increase surveillance on monkeypox, which has been reported in many countries across the world. In a letter to the states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan reiterated that there should be a rigorous surveillance system at all points of entry to quickly identify and isolate suspected cases.
​Kerala reports India's first monkeypox case

Kerala reports India's first monkeypox case

Photo : Times Now
Thiruvananthapuram: India reported its first monkeypox case on Thursday. The development came mere hours after the Union Health Ministry asked states to increase surveillance on the zoonotic disease. Monkeypox cases have been reported in many countries across the world.
"A monkeypox positive case has been reported. He is a traveller from UAE. He reached the state on July 12. He reached Trivandrum airport and all the steps are being taken as per the guidelines issued by WHO and ICMR. The patient is quite stable, and all the vitals are normal. The primary contacts have also been identified - his father, mother, taxi driver, auto driver, and 11 passengers of the same flight who were in adjacent seats" said Kerala Health Minister Veena George.
She also assured that there was "nothing to worry about or to be anxious about".
Following the development, the Union Health Ministry is now set to deploy a multi-disciplinary Central team to support the Kerala government in probing the outbreak and instituting requisite health measures. This team will depart at the latest by tomorrow.
Earlier today, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had written to all states and UTs reiterated that there should be a rigorous surveillance system at all points of entry to quickly identify and isolate suspected cases.
"Continued expansion of spread of monkeypox disease globally calls for proactive strengthening and operationalisation of requisite public health actions for preparedness and response against the disease in lndia also," he wrote.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said today that it would reconvene its expert monkeypox committee on July 21 to decide whether the outbreak constitutes a global health emergency. The UN health agency is now aware of around 9,200 cases in 63 countries at per an update issued earlier today.
A surge in monkeypox infections has been reported since early May outside the West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic.
According to available statistics, almost all patients affected thus far are male, with a median age of 37, with three-fifths identifying as men who have sex with men. The normal initial symptoms of monkeypox include a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and a blistery chickenpox-like rash. But the report said that in this outbreak, many cases were not presenting with the classically-described clinical picture.
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